Even as it continues to push for connected tech, TAG Heuer is adamant on reminding us of its storied history in racing, reissuing the classic Autavia and, now, bringing back one of its lesser-known racing models: the Monza. Originally released in 1976, the Monza was a gift to Heuer’s then-partner, Ferrari F1, to celebrate its win of the 1975 F1 World Championship (when Ferrari driver Niki Lauda sealed Ferrari’s first-place standing at the penultimate race of the season, in Italy, at Autodromo Nazionale Monza). The Monza’s life was short: it was only sold until 1978, revived in 1981 (without the Monza name) and then discontinued again in 1985.
Jack Heuer’s gift to Ferrari originally used PVD coating on the watch’s steel case to make its design stand out, but the new version uses a grade 5 titanium case coated in titanium carbide to achieve the murdered-out look. The case has also bumped up to 42mm in size (the original was a 39mm design) to accommodate the watch market’s current taste for larger watches, and the crown has moved from the left side of the case to the right. The heart of the new Monza is TAG’s Calibre 17 automatic chronograph movement that the company uses broadly across its range of chronographs.
